Black Horse Point

[Nelly]

Has anyone climbed the routes on Black Horse Point mentioned in Brian Burdo's book? He describes two multi-pitch routes: Archer, 5.8, 4 pitches and Pampas Drifter, 5.8, 8 pitches, both on good rock.

[MysticNacho]

Whoa nelly, whoa there...

[al]

Check out the thread on Cedar creek Wall.

[J_Fisher]

I went to do Pampas Drifter in October 2000 and found it pretty dissapointing from a climbing perspective. We climbed to about 2/3 to 3/4 height and found nothing but short steps linking up big, heavily vegetated ledges. We had a late start and grew tired of wrestling the shrubbery, so we just rapped from the abundant flora. In retrospect, we may have been pretty off-route, too far to clibers right and not on the face proper.

If I remember right, the BB guidebook approach wasn't terribly helpful. Don't head straight towards the crag or you'll end up traversing endless steep shitty sideslopes. Just head straight to the flattish basin below BHP and follow the basin until you're directly below the face. From there head straight up low angel talus to the base.

In any event it's a really pretty spot with a lot of solitude given how close you are to the road.

Don't know anything about Archer, but there's a TR here: http://www.themarxes.net:8080/blackhorsepoint.html

[Nelly]

Thanks J Fisher, very nice report - that gully sounds terrible! So, did you at least get a look at the 8 pitch that starts right of the gulley?

[Tom]

We didn't get a good look at the 8 pitch, we're still skeptical about the routes - but we're going to go back and try again this summer. After my friend got nailed in the hand by the rock, he was toast for the rest of the weekend as far as climbing was concerned.

Tom

[J_Fisher]

Nelly, you may be morphing Tom--who did Archer and has the killer web page--and me, who tried to do Pampas Drifter and was probably way off route. At the time I thought the route description was just laughably bad, but from looking at the pic on Tom's page I think we may have been in the wrong place--in the ledgey bushy stuff where the sun meets the shade in the pic, whereas the route may be on the sunny face. I may try to go back for a second look too.

Tom, you racing this year? I actually found your page through the WMRRA page. This will be my novice year--WMRRA #913, '93 GSXR600. Not that this has anything to do with climbing . . .

[ 03-29-2002: Message edited by: J Fisher ]

[Tom]

I plan to go back to BHP also - we want to redo Archer, and find the 8 pitch.

Hopefully, I'll be racing in the Northwest Endurance series, helping out Randy G on his SV. Racing is definitely fun, but costs major $$$ and time. Climbing is giving me a ton more for those investments.